Windfalls

The wind harvested our apples for us, after huge gales in the night the apples were all deposited neatly on the grass for us to collect. In the picture are the deep red 'Spartan' and my 'Bramley' cooking apples. I love that Spartan is described as 'a simple unpretentious apple, and when eaten straight from the tree on a crisp cold morning is a real delight'.

Washed and blown dry

It was terribly wet and windy overnight and this morning the sheep all look very white after their enforced 'wash and blow dry'. Now they are sitting down so they don't blow over in the huge gusts of wind that make our weather today.

Project of the week

Dave has been thwarted for the moment on his two current projects: tiling the kitchen window sill needs to wait until the plasterer can visit to correct a problem and the bedroom door project is waiting for the steamed door to flatten (it's currently on the living room floor under a pile of heavy items!) So instead there is a new task: filling in the gap beneath the stairs. Presumably the timber here was destroyed by the previous owners rather heavy handed sandblasting. Just before fitting the newly cut pieces Dave found a strip of architrave that had been saved from here but forgotten about. After a bit of re-jigging it is now back in place (the conservation officer would be impressed) and it makes a huge difference to how the kitchen looks. A job begun and completed within a week!!

Winter wear

I've been busy sewing a skirt this week because everything I found in the shops for winter looked so drab. This is the first time I've tried just to copy an existing item of clothing rather than following a pattern. It took just 2 metres of cotton lawn and although I had to take the risk of buying the fabric online I'm very happy with the result.

A more curious item in my wardrobe this week was a pair of furry leopard print 'hot pants' with which I won our WI competition of 'an item of clothing for under £5 from a charity shop'. I'll spare you the sight of me actually wearing them, but I did - all meeting! They were incredibly cosy, just the thing for chilly winter days. My father always liked to say "winter drawers/draws on" and with these I'm ready for the forecast 'worst winter in 50 years'!

Chutney

I've had a go at making some chutney for Christmas using apricots, oranges and cranberries. Delia describes it as 'a superlative chutney': 'Spiced Apricot and Orange Chutney'. My version was somewhat modified by  me as I missed out the garlic and added dried cranberries in place of the sultanas.  It's ages since I've made chutney and unlike jam you don't get the opportunity to check what you've created by sampling it, as it has to mature first but hopefully it's good. I ordered some more jam jars and lids which came promptly and beautifully packaged from Wares of Knutsford.

Late autumn

Late autumn, the gales have blown enough leaves from the trees for me to be able to see the church again. Dave managed to cut the grass which, with the mild temperatures, is still growing despite the wind and rain. Picked out in brief sunshine I enjoy just looking at our incredible view and once more think how very lucky I am to have this as my home.

Wide skies

The rough weather has brought us some striking skies in the last few days. The clouds have been racing and when a little sunshine breaks through it acts like a spotlight on the ground below.

Dahlias

My dahlias were so late coming into flower this year but I am making the most of picking them now before the inevitable frosts. I had also forgotten how much the rain spoils them. Deep inside the flowers I have found drowsy bees, they must think they have found an ideal spot to spend the winter!

Remembrance Sunday

The lych gate at St Peter's was erected in 1923 as a memorial to the men of the parish who fell in the Great War and at the end of our service of remembrance we went and stood by the gate to place our wreath and remember all those from our little hamlet who fought in the war so we could be free. It is also a time for personal remembrance and reflection as this date also commemorates the day my parents got engaged.

Autumn colours

The trees look beautiful at this time of year particularly the oaks with their golden and bronze leaves enhanced by the dark wood of the trunks. We've had a few cold nights but no frosts and mild days. This is a very warm November so far.